Saturday, January 21, 2012

The next forecast in The Mountain Astrologer Feb/Mar 2012 issue covered the period between January 19-21. The forecast covered three areas. Let's look at how they turned out. These forecasts were prepared in July 2011.

ForecastJanuary 19-21, 2012The sextiles to Uranus and Pluto by the Sun and Venus indicate cold but fair conditions now. The Sun's squares to the approaching Jupiter-Saturn opposition, however, add inclement conditions with above average precipitation. These combine over the U.S. Northeast and New England promising messy winter conditions. A strong low pressure system is also indicated over the western Great Lakes.

ResultsThe Accuweather map below shows the winter storm hitting the Great Lakes, Northeast and New England on the 20th and 21st as forecast.

Here are some of the weather headlines for this period.Jan 19: Snow for Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, NYC, BostonJan 20: Snowstorm for NYC, Hartford, Boston and OthersJan 21: Snowstorm rips through NortheastA quick-hitting winter storm brings the heaviest snow since the late October snowstorm to parts of the Northeast.

ForecastThe U.K. gets a blast of winter now, and Portugal is slated for stormy conditions. Farther east over Turkey, the Jupiter-Saturn opposition will most likely result in a winter storm.

ResultsHere are some of the European weather headlines. I'm not sure what weather Turkey experienced.Jan 20: Heavy snow, GalesCloudy, wet and windy across England, France, The Low Countries, Denmark and Germany with outbreaks of rain.Jan 21: Cold and wintry, Strong winds

ForecastWhile Uranus and Pluto bring cold air through Russia and central China, the Jupiter-Saturn combination seems to promise a strong winter storm system over China's eastern and southeastern coasts.

ResultsOn the 20th and 21st, the China Meteorological Administration issued a blizzard alert close to the areas forecast as shown in the map below.

The Central Meteorological Office issues Blue alert for blizzard at 6:00 p.m. on January 20 (Beijing Time):It is forecasted that in the next 24 hours from 8:00 a.m. on January 20 there will be heavy snow affecting southeastern Gansu, central Shaanxi, southwestern Shanxi, most parts of Hubei, southern Anhui, northwestern Jiangxi, and northwestern Hunan. Isolated areas in southern Hubei will be hit by blizzard with precipitation of 10 to 13 mm. Parts of central Guizhou will see freezing rain.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

A series of winter forecasts of mine for 2012 entitled The Winters of 2011-14: An Astrometeorological Assessment has been published in the Feb/Mar 2012 edition of The Mountain Astrologer. These forecasts are all based on planetary cycles and were prepared in July 2011. As the forecasts transpire, I post the results to see how they have turned out. I've already posted the results of all that have occurred so far. Here's the next one.

ForecastJanuary 12-14, 2012Some of the main areas affected by Mercury's conjunction to Pluto, and Venus' conjunction to Neptune are the U.S. east and west coasts. An impressive winter storm should enter the Pacific Northwest with plentiful moisture. Its eastern counterpart will deliver a wintry punch to the Northeast and New England.

The Mercury-Pluto conjunction in the Solar Ingress affects the 105th degree of east longitude through Russia and central China opening up an arctic expressway for cold air to penetrate southward.

Results

For the United States, two areas were mentioned: the East and West Coasts. The Northeast and New England were to experience a wintry punch. The Accuweather map below for January 13th--the middle of the forecast period--shows the wintry punch arriving on schedule. Weather headlines for this time period are as follows: Northeast: Accidents, Cut Power from Snow, Freeze, Wind--Double shot of winter storms in the East--Arctic invasion.

As for the West Coast, the Accuweather map below is for the 14th or the end of the forecast period. The accompanying headline read: Seattle Snow, Storms to Return to the West. The weather, however, began to gear up for this before the 14th. On the 11th, the National Weather Service reported brisk east to northeast winds with gusts up to 50 mph--and even 70 mph--in some places in and around the Portland metro area. On the 13th, the NWS stated "a vigorous frontal system will push through western Washington early Friday (13th) bringing significant snowfall to the Cascades.

The last part of the forecast was for cold air to penetrate southward through central China. The China Meteorological Administration reported the following:

From Jan.12 to 14, there will be light to moderate snow or sleet in central and eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (this is located in west central China), southeastern Northwest China, northern Yangtze-Hanshui Valley, southern and western Yellow-Huaihe Valley, northern Yangtze-Huaihe Valley. From Jan.12 to 15, the last overcast will hit most parts of southern China with the precipitation of 40 to 90mm. On Jan.14, the heavy rain or rainstorm will affect Jiangxi (southeast China), Fujian (southeast China), northern Guangdong and eastern Guangxi (south central China).

Monday, January 09, 2012

The next forecast that appeared in The Mountain Astrologer Feb/Mar 2012 issue covered January 7th and 8th.

Forecast

January 7-8, 2012Mercury and Venus activate Uranus and Pluto now by square and semi-square. Abruptly falling temperatures with northwest wind push down over the Great Lakes into eastern U.S. and bring the potential for wintry precipitation. Other key charts indicate that wintry weather will be felt over Nevada, Oklahoma, and Iowa.

This should be an active weather period for Europe. Blustery northwest wind should push eastward over Ireland through the UK, Portugal, and Spain towards Germany. Similarly, Uranus-Pluto over China indicates sudden temperatures drops and northwest winds pushing into the country's center.

Results

The falling temperatures mentioned for the Great Lakes and eastern U.S. are shown in the following Weather Channel map for January 8th. Notice the cold front pushing over the whole area.

Winds were also experienced over the Great Lakes as shown by the NWS gale warning on the 7th for Marquette, MI.

... GALE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON...

Wintry weather was forecast for Nevada, Oklahoma, and Iowa.

NevadaThe National Weather Service warned that on the 7th and 8thA TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN AND EASTERN NEVADA BRINGING SNOW SHOWERS AND A LOT OF COLD AIR...SOME GUSTY WINDS COULD DEVELOP OVER NORTHEAST NEVADA WHICH MAY BRIEFLY IMPACT TRAVEL ALONG HIGHWAY 93 FROM WELLS TO JACKPOT...TEMPERATURES WILL DROP RAPIDLY AND SINGLE DIGITS ARE EXPECTED BY DAYBREAK SUNDAY.

OklahomaA COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO PUSH SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLES BY SUNDAY MORNING WITH MUCH COLDER AIR RETURNING TO THE AREA. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHWEST PANHANDLES SUNDAY MORNING AND IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD SOUTHWARD ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA BY SUNDAY NIGHT.

The Accuweather map below shows a bigger picture of the weather affecting that area.

IowaNo wintry weather was reported for Iowa.

EuropeWet and windy weather was reported for Europe starting on the 6th. Heavier showers and stronger winds blew into Germany and Poland on the 7th. On the 8th, a strong mistral affected southern France.

ChinaThe Chinese Meteorological Administration reported the following on January 5th:In the next 3 days, there will be last overcast, rain and snow in most of southern China. The last rain and snow will influence eastern Qinhai-Tibet Plateau and most southern parts of China. Central and northern Guizhou, northern South of the Yangtze River will get light to moderate or sleet. The freezing rain will hit central and western Guizhou while moderate to heavy snow affect southwestern Tibet.

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

The third forecast that will appear in The Mountain Astrologer February 2012 issue follows below. Let's see how it turned out.ForecastDecember 31, 2011-January 2, 2012A front or low pressure system bringing windy and stormy conditions to the Rockies due to the Mercury-Mars square will eject out into the Plains. Europe will see boisterous conditions over the UK, Spain, and Poland. Key charts show Mercury-Mars affecting a broad area of China with windy weather.

ResultsOn December 30th, Examiner.com reported that high wind watches were in place for parts of Wyoming and Colorado and were to increase significantly by the 31st effectively fulfilling the first part of the above long-range weather forecast. The article further reported that winds were to be strong across the Central Plains from the 31st into January 1st fulfilling the next part of the forecast.

As for Europe, the map below shows windstorm to affect the continent between January 1st and 3rd.

On the 1st, weather.co.uk reported strong winds and periods of rain were to affect the Low Countries, northern Germany, and the north of Poland. The only place not mentioned was Spain.

The China Meteorological Administration reported that from December 31st through January 4th, northerly wind forces would hit the northern parts of the Huaihe River which is located in eastern China.